Exhaust for locomotives.



No. 7|5,873. Patentewnec";"5.1902.

- F. nosmsou. V

EXHAUST FOB LOCOMOTIVES.

' (Application file i Feb. 23, 1901.)

2 Shoets.-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

llll-l \A/IT EESES;

No. 7|5,-873. Y Patented Dec. l6, I902.

F. nosmson.

EXHAUST FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

(Applicafion filed Feb. 23, 1901.!

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Nb Model.)

UNITED ST TES.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ROBINSON, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

EXHAUST FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,873, dated December16, 1902.

Application filed February 23, 1901. Serial No. 48,450. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Bangor, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Exhausts for Locomotives,of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of thisspecification, in explaining its nature.

Steam from the cylinders of locomotives is now exhausted into theexhaust-chamber in intermittent unrestrained discharges, the practicaleffect of which is to cause an irregular and uncertain vacuum to beformed, a wasteful and imperfect combustion of fuel to take place, anoisy explosion or discharge of the exhaust into the atmosphere tooccur, and a disagreeable escape of black smoke and cinders to follow;and the object of my present invention is to improve the form ofexhausting apparatus or device whereby the exhaust from the cylinders isreceived by a reservoir and discharged from it through theexhaustchamber into the smoke-stack in a manner to produce a morecontinuous and complete vacuum, a more uniform and steady combustion, asaving in fuel, a better steaming result,and discontinuance of theexplosive noise of the discharge and of the escape of black smoke andcinders.

the exhaust from the cylinders passes and which is of a size to receiveand momentarily store it and which is provided with a throttling mouthor outlet cylindrical in form ,which acts to retard the flow of theexhaust from the reservoir and also to direct it into and through theexhaust-chamber and the escape-passage of the smoke-stack in the form ofa relatively continuous slow-moving solid body or column of steam,completely filling the passage in the stack and impenetrable by theouter air, and

This result is accom-' plished by means of a reservoir through which athe important results which I have enumerated.

I will now describe the invention in detail by reference to the drawingsforming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view,principally in longitudinal vertical section, of the forward end of alocomotive, representing the exhaust-chamber, smoke-stack, and myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a view, enlarged, in vertical central section ofmy exhaust apparatus, the portion which I have called an annular headbeing detached. Fig. 3 represents in vertical central section the saidannular head. Fig. 4 shows in the same section the two parts of Figs. 2and 3 associated together. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical central sectionat a right angle to the section of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view in plan ofthe device. Fig. 7 is a view in plan, inverted, thereof.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the usual exhaust or vacuumchamber at the forward end of the locomotive, into which theboiler-tubes extending from the furnace open and which the exhaust fromthe cylinder traverses and from which it escapes with the spent productsfrom the furnace through the outlet-passage formed by the smoke-stack.

B is the boiler of the locomotive, andb the forward ends of some of itstubes leading from the furnace.

C is the smoke-stack, and c is the passage therein,which connects theexhaust or vacuum chamber A with the outer air.

D is the exhaust apparatus, by means of which myinvention is produced. Ihave represented it as contained in the exhaustchamber A and as formedby a metal shell d, having at its lower end a flange d, by which it isfastened in place, and which shell is of a shape to form an enlargedreservoir or chamber (1, having at its lower ends within the flange dthe inlets (1 d by means of which the exhaust from the cylinders entersthe reservoir. The reservoir is of considerable capacity, both as toheight and as to horizontal area, especially with regard to the area ofits mouth or outlet 01 through which the exhaust is expelled intotheexhaustchamber A from the reservoir. The reservoir should be of asize to receive and temporarily hold the exhaust, which to some degreeis throttled in the reservoir, because the mouth or outlet d is not ofan area to instantly permit the discharge of the full contents of thereservoir. The shell dalso has a central post d, preferably, though notnecessarily, cast integral with the rest of the shell and rising fromthe wall d and forming the partition between the two inlets (1 d At theupper end of this post is a circular head (1 which extends upward andoutward on all sides from the post and serves to partially close theupper end of the reservoir. Its lower surface d preferably, is curvedinwardly, and its circular edge d is straight and forms the inner wallof the outlet or mouth (1 to the reservoir. The outer wall of the outletor mouth is formed by the straight edge d to the annular opening in thehead D, detachably fastened to the upper end of the shell din anyconvenient way,and which annular head also serves to partially close theupper end of the reservoir. I have represented the annular head asprovided upon its under side with a circular flange d, which fits withina neck 01 at the upper end of the shell and as having a shoulder (Z torest upon the upper edge of the neck. I have shown the head asdetachably fastened to the neck of the shell by a looking or fasteningscrew passing through the neck, and the inner end of which enters acircular groove in the flange (1 Any other means, however, suitable fordetachably securing the head to the reservoir-shell may be employed.This annular head is made detachable from the shellin order that thewidth, and therefore the area, of the circular outlet or mouth (i to thereservoir may be varied at will by the removal of one having an annularhole of a given diameter and substituting therefor another having anannular hole of a larger orsmaller diameter, according as it maybedesired to increase or diminish the width or area of said outlet ormouth. This is an important feature of the invention, as it is necessaryto vary the area of the outlet or mouth to adjust the exhaust tovariations in pressure, its quantity, and frequency, and also toregulate the size, speed, and force of the exhausting column to variousconditions existing in the exhaust-chamber and to variationsih the sizeof the passages in the petticoats and smokestack. The post or inner andthe removable or outer head serve to form the outlet or mouth to thereservoir and also to form the top of the reservoir.

WVhile I prefer the construction represented in the drawings, where theinner head is rep resented as extended above the outer edge of the shelland the outer head makes up the difference in height, so thatits outersurface is flush with the outer surface of the inner head, yet I do notconfine myself to this form. The reservoir-shell may be placed withinthe exhaust-chamber A, so that the outlet or mouth to the reservoir mayhave any desired relation to the passage in the smoke-stack or in anypetticoat arranged beneath the smokestack. In the drawings I have showntwo petticoats beneath the stack.

The outlet or mouth to the reservoir, it will be noticed, is in theshape of a narrow annular passage of relatively large diameter openingfrom about the center of the top of the reservoir-chamber, the innerwall of which passage is always permanently defined by the edge of thepost or inner head while its outer wall is made variable in diameter andany distance from the inner wall by the removal of one detachableheadand the substitution therefor of another having an annularopeningofadifferentdiameter. Areservoirmouth or outlet of this shape andarrangement, in conjunction with a reservoir of sufficient capacity toreceive and hold the exhaust, will cause it to be expelled from thereservoir in a continuous or very nearly continuous length, column, orstream of the full size and capacity of the passage in the petticoat andin the stack and having substantially the same density throughout andthrough which the outer air cannot break, thereby causing the formationof a substantially continuing vacuum of relatively low pressure. Thiscontinuing vacuum is in part produced because thereservoir and its mouthor outlet are so proportioned that the reservoir can be immediatelyrelieved from the exhaust charges which it receives from the cylinders,and con-- sequently does not deliver the exhaust through the mouth oroutlet into the stackin spasmodic forcible interrupted impulses, thereservoir serving to check these characteristics of the exhaust and inpart from the shape, density, continuity, and force of the exhaustingcolumn due to the shape of the mouth or outlet, its relation to thepressure in the reservoir, the size of the exhaustchamber, and the sizeof the passage in the petticoat or stack.

It will be seen that the invention accomplishes these improvements:first, it improves the exhaust itself, in that it provides a morecontinuous and complete vacuum in the exhaust-chamber than hasheretofore been attained; second, it improves the combustion of thefuel, economizes its use, and provides a better steaming-engine; third,it does away with the formation and expulsion of black smoke andcinders, and, fourth, it prevents the unpleasant explosion now incidentto the discharge of the exhaust from the smokestack.

I would not be understood as limiting the invention to the shape of theshell or reservoir shown or to a reservoir having two exhaust-inlets,for the reservoir may take the exhaust from one cylinder or other sourceor from more than two and the reservoir may have any other desirableshape than that shown and it may be used in conjunction with any otherkind of escape-passage than that provided by a smoke-stack.

While I have described the post 01 as solid and have so shown it, it maybe made hollow, as indicated by the dotted line of Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

It should be observed that myinvention is intended to substitute for thenoisy intermittent blast now commonly employed upon 10- comotives, andwhich is destructive and wasteful of energy, one which is mild,continuous in its discharge, and which conserves energy by creating amild continuous draft in the furnace without any intermittent backdrafts. This result is accomplished by using in lieu of the ordinaryexhaust-pipe, which is only a means for receiving the discharge of thecylinders, and a discharge nozzle, through which the discharge isforcibly driven as rapidly as it is made, a structure which provides areservoir for receiving the exhaust from both cylinders and which isprovided with an outlet of such a proportion to the capacity of thereceiving-chamber that it serves to partially hold or retard the outflowof steam from the chamber, so that it leaves the chamber in the form ofa vertical continuous column rather than as a shortintermittentblast.This is due to three principal causes: first, because a receivingchamber is provided which is much larger in area than the area of thecylinder-passages combined, so that it acts as a storing and expandingchamber for holding the steam and allowing it to expand before itreaches the outlet; second, because this holding and expanding chamberis connected with both cylinders, so that the steam from both cylindersenters it and is held and expanded together therein; third, because ofthe size of the outlet, which is so proportioned to the size of theholding and expanding chamber that it retards the flow of steamtherefrom and gives it opportunity to collect and expand therein, sothat it may always provide a practically continuous supply for passagethrough the outlet. These considerations I deem to be of large valuebecause of the desirable and economical advantage I gain.

I am aware of the patents, No. 449,825, to

Player, No. 458,320, to Pitkin and Lane, No.

576,122, to Borbridge, No. 654,589, to Barnes, No. 650,227, to Bute; butas these patents do not describe, in connection with a singledischarge-outlet, a storage'chamber into which the exhaust from bothcylinders enters'and in which it is permitted to expand and by which itis held and from which it escapes through the smoke-stack in the form ofa mild continuous column, but they describe modifications of the oldtype of escape-nozzle by which the exhaust is forcibly ejected into thesmoke-stack in the form of short intermittent blasts, I consider thatthey do not contain my invention and disclaim anything shown anddescribed therein.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States 1. The improved exhaustingapparatus herein described, the same comprising a steam expanding andholding chamber common to both steam-cylinders and with which bothcylinders are connected, the said holding and expanding chamber'being ofa sufficient size to receive the exhaust from both cylinders, hold itand permit it to expand therein, the said holding and expanding chamberhaving an unrestricted inlet and an outlet in area so proportioned toits capacity as to serve to retard the outflow of steam therefrom andcause the steam to issue from the chamber in the form of a substantiallycontinuous column relatively regardless of the times of the cylindersexhausts and which outlet is located in line with the passage throughthe smoke-escape, whereby the column of steam is caused to traverse thesame and thus provide a practically continuous and relatively milddraft.

2. In an exhaust apparatus of the character specified a metal castingshaped to form a steam holding and expanding chamber of a capacitysufficient to receive and allow to expand the successive exhausts of thesteamcylinders and having unrestricted inlets from the steam-cylindersrelatively small in area compared with the size of the chamber, the saidcasting also having an integral central head, the wall of which formsthe inner wall of the outlet, and means for detachably holding aremovable annular head, the inner wall of which forms the outer wall ofsaid outlet, and which with said head forms a dischargeopening soproportioned to the capacity of the chamber as to cause the steamentering it to be held and expanded therein and to escape therefrom inthe form of a substantially continuous column.

F RANK ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

HARRY MERRILL, LEON F. HIGGINS.

ICC

